B Y : M A R C O S Z H A N G

Mongol War Tactics, Weapons, and Conquest (Kids Edition)

The Military Force

There was once a khagan, or ruler, whose name was Chinggis Khan. After his harsh living as a boy and his election to be leader, he brought organization, discipline and unity to the military of warriors.

Why Conquest?

One of the reasons why Chinggis Khan began his conquests was because of his beliefs. He believed that Tenggeri, the sky god of their shamanistic beliefs, gave him a mission to unite as many lands as possible.

The Military Force (Continued)

The Mongol warriors were put into units, or Tumens, of 10,000. During a battle, the Mongols had messengers and party scouts, who helped the soldiers fight. The most important goal to the Mongols was to survive and win.

Mongol Warriors Training for Battle

As soon as they are born, they are trained to hunt and fight. They were trained so well, that they didn’t need to shout orders during battle, and used their hunting skills to fight.

Discipline

Chinggis Khan made sure that soldiers would not lie to him. If they did, they were not allowed to feel alive. Soldiers should be trusted to be good.

Mongol Weapons

The Mongols had very useful weapons. A lot of the times, they were mounted on horses and used weapons such as arrows, small and composite bows, and spears.

Small Bow

The small bow was a very important weapon for the Mongols. They could throw them as far as 350 yards while on a horse.

War Tactics

The warriors believed that retreat was not embarrassing. This can be a reason why they practiced the dog fight, or a fake panic to trick the opponent.

War Tactics (Continued)

They would also use a technique called falling stars, in which they would have small units on every side of the enemy at the same time.

Why are War Tactics important?

The war tactics helped many other boys learn how to fight. They made war tactics that other big kids like Napoleon would use.

Mongol Conquests: Russia

With their weapons and skill, army men led by Batu (Chinggis Khan’s grandson) were the only ones ever to defeat Russia in the winter. After these invasions in 1236 and 1240, they took down cities that were against them and added new land to their empire.

Conquest of Europe

After defeating Russia, they were excited to get closer to Europe! They defeated the kingdom of Hungary and were ready to roll! But then, the khagan Ogedei died, and the conquest by Batu would never go on.

Conquest of China

When they reached China, Kubilai Khan, another grandson of Chinggis, renamed his empire the Yuan dynasty in 1271. Kubilai loved the Chinese and opened new trade for them, although he did not restore the civil service examinations.

Tolerance

The Mongols allowed other people to keep their way of living after they were taken over as long as they paid tribute. Religion and culture could be to kept.

Why are the Conquests important?

The conquests were important because they helped connect many lands from Asia to Europe. The Mongols had the 2nd largest empire in history.

Conclusion

The Mongols ruled a large empire for about 150 years. With their strong grip of power, they lived happily ever after in the history textbooks of World History students.

CITATIONS

1. Kapaj, Luigi. "Mongol Combat Tactics."http://silverhorde.viahistoria.com/. N.p.. Web. 24 Nov 2013. <http://silverhorde.viahistoria.com/research/tactics.html>.

2. "Mongolian Weapons." http://ryanwolfe.weebly.com/. N.p.. Web. 24 Nov 2013. <http://ryanwolfe.weebly.com/weapons.html>.

3. "The Mongol Conquests." http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/. N.p.. Web. 24 Nov 2013. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/conquests/conquests.htm>.

4. "What was the Mongols' Influence on China?."http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/. N.p.. Web. 24 Nov 2013. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/china/china.htm>.